As a self-employed social media consultant and programmer, Jim Chaney used to wake up, smoke a joint and drink some coffee. Now he’s growing a business that brings his morning ritual and the benefits of medicinal marijuana together in a tasty beverage bottled right here on Capitol Hill.
Cheney said he is just trying his best to “be a good American citizen and work within my rights.” He hopes the latest effort by New Approach Washington will be successful in expanding the legal status of marijuana use. In the meantime, he has brewed up a popular new product.
“I really like Frappuccinos,” said Cheney, “and it would be really great if you could get medical marijuana benefits from it.” So Cheney decided to do it himself and started making Dream Cream in the spring.
Dream Cream is a cold brew of locally-roasted coffee mixed with medicated milk or cream, then “lightly sweetened” with cane sugar. The drink is manufactured, bottled and labeled for sale by Cheney himself in a kitchen space in an undisclosed Capitol Hill dispensary.
“It’s basically a Frappuccino with the corporate stuff ripped out of it and replaced with cannabis,” he said.
You can find bottles on sale for $10 at seven dispensaries in the city, including the Apothecary at Broadway and E Olive Way, Capitol Hill Patient Group at 14th and Pike, and the BOTH collective at 10th and Union (if you have your medical marijuana card, of course).
The Hill’s wave of newly opened marijuana dispensaries, in the meantime, continue to operate even as efforts at legalization have stalled and then re-started. CHS asked for updates from some of these providers given the shifting political climate and shutdowns mounted elsewhere in the state — nobody got back to us with more than general statements on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. At this point, the Hill’s cannabis industry is mostly keeping its head down.
Cheney, for now, is up for the attention. He moved to Seattle from San Francisco a year ago and chose the Hill because “it’s easily the best neighborhood to have a fun time,” he said. So when he decided to start Dream Cream, he wanted to keep it close to home.
“It just makes logical sense to start a business in the neighborhood you live in,” he said. “Capitol Hill will be the headquarters for as long as I can imagine,” he said. Plus, as Cheney noted: “Capitol Hill’s blowing up with pot.”
As Dream Cream gets more popular — it has been selling out so fast he has trouble keeping up — Cheney is looking to move operations to an industrial warehouse space with a certified kitchen. As medical marijuana providers fight for legal credit in the state, Cheney hopes Dream Cream will raise the bar for local medicated edibles. If the products are to be given full legal status, he said, edibles will need to live up to the same health standards as any other food product, including airtight containers, lists of ingredients, etc.
“It really kind of sucks to sit around, letting your livelihood depend on politicians,” he said.
So, how does it taste? Toke of the Town’s Steve Elliott had this to say in Seattle Weekly:
After a quick adjustment of taste expectations (the flavor of cannabis is definitely present, although that’s not necessarily a bad thing), I enjoyed my (very cold) Dream Cream more and more until, by the end of the bottle, I loved the stuff.
As a cannabis and medibles tester, I’ve developed something of a tolerance for medicated treats, and am thus not very easily impressed. But I gotta tell you: This stuff emphatically works. Within minutes of finishing my bottle of Dream Cream, I drifted into an energetic, euphoric state of consciousness, deep and high, which lasted for three wonderful hours.
For up-to-the-minute Dream Cream news, you can follow @dreamcreamer on Twitter or check out the Dream Cream website.
The morning ritual of which this is a synthesis is affectionately termed a Seattle Speedball in some circles.
Good Morning!
These are legitimate.
To use the word “medical” 3 times in this article and end on the quote:
“Within minutes of finishing my bottle of Dream Cream, I drifted into an energetic, euphoric state of consciousness, deep and high, which lasted for three wonderful hours.”
is silly.
People just want to get fucked up. You’ll get more support if you’re honest about it.
Took out all “the corprate stuff.” Are you running your business as a sole proprietorship or a corp?
I want a case delivered to my doorstep every saturday morning. Make it so.
Glad to see that Capitol Hill is keeping on top of these important issues. Also, yummmm
Yup. Seriously, let’s just “call a spade a spade”, and admit that 9 out of 10 people accessing these sources are really just looking to get high. Definitely there are people with serious medical needs (I know a few). But most are just burnouts getting stoned. Really, you just don’t see so many 25 year olds with such serious conditions that they need medical pot. Even though I don’t partake anymore, I’m not against legalization at all. But let’s dispense with this charade, shall we? This many people just don’t really NEED medical marijuana.
I agree completely that “medical marijuana” is, for the most part, a charade and just part of the effort to legalize the drug (I’m undecided on that, there are pros and cons).
It’s not that hard for someone to get an “authorization” for spurious reasons….just pay the fee at any one of many places and the anonymous “medical provider” will sign your form. It would be very interesting to know the ages of all who have so far obtained authorization…my guess is that most are young people who just want to get high, and it’s true that very few 20-somethings have medical conditions that would legitimately qualify.
*9 out of 10 just looking to get high? = false
* But most are just burnouts getting stoned. Really, you just don’t see so many 25 year olds with such serious conditions that they need medical pot
= let me know next time you see Cancer HIV or Crones ok buddy~!
*It’s not that hard for someone to get an “authorization” for spurious reasons….just pay the fee at any one of many places and the anonymous “medical provider”
= False Anonymous medical provider. ( Our Dr graduated from Yale and is a surgeon ,required to list credentials on every authorization..
We help very sick people and the average age is closer to parents and grandparents ages. Whether you believe it or not comments like yours hurt people .Come volunteer at our shop for a few days I guarantee it will change your stinking thinking
I’m just calling a spade a spade! but im serious about the challege come see for yourself who we help and what we do. 210 Broadway E
The irony of this issue is that you can talk all the shit you want until YOU need it then you will change your tune real quick . What I’m seeing time and time again is that AT SOMEPOINT YOU OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE WILL NEED THE BENEFITS OF THIS PLANT. So keep talking smack about what we are doing. You, your friends, or a loved ones diagnosis could be just around the corner.
Nobody is complaining about legitimate uses. You wouldn’t be so defensive accept that you know the vast majority of this is not for legitimate uses. Like cancer.
I should have been clearer about what I meant by “anonymous.”…the medical providers pot dispensaries employ have no past relationship to the client seeking an authorization, don’t really know that much about him/her, and are there entirely to provide “quick and easy” authorizations (for a fee) so that the business can sell more pot. There is a reason many people do not seek an authorization from their primary care doctor…it’s because they know that doctor actually knows their medical history and current problems, and therefore is less likely to approve the request. (yes, I realize your doctor requires some medical records, but they can be very selective and incomplete).
It would be interesting to know how many clients are denied a request for authorization by your medical provider (I’m guessing it is an extremely low number). Can you provide this information?
Actually what I’m defensive about is comments Like yours
“You wouldn’t be so defensive accept that you know the vast majority of this is not for legitimate uses.”
So I ask you ?? HOW DO YOU KNOW THE VAST MAJORITY IS NOT FOR LEGITAMENT USE. HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS?
I’ll tell you how I know. I’m there every day I see the sick people every day. pot smokers and burnouts aren’t the ones getting authorizations . Its baby boomers, professionals , sick and hurting people. YOUR MOM,YOUR NIECE, YOUR FRIEND….Once again I’ll tell you Archaic laws and unsubstantiated comments like yours hurt people. If you don’t believe it come volunteer and see for yourself. Our cards are on the table 210 Broadway E
I struggle a bit with this because I’ll admit I’m not the most articulate when it comes to writing. I’m much more affective in person. But I’ll do my best.
My first thought of your description on obtaining an authorization sounded a lot like visiting a pain management clinic and receiving pain meds. You go see a Dr explain your pain , pay a fee and the Dr gives you Vicodin or Percocet. Or you take your child to Dr tell them they can’t concentrate and have a hard time focusing. You pay a fee and you get prescribed psychotropic drugs for your child.
I never really understand this argument for medical marijuana..
You see a Dr , pay a fee , talk to the Dr about your aliment and if the Dr feels you benefit from MMJ you receive authorization to obtain medicine. What’s so wrong with this ? Its people doing what our state has asked them to do.
A lot of Primary care physicians are too scared to sign these forms or don’t even know what the form looks like but more and more are willing. We are seeing Dr’s and Oncologists sending their patients to us for authorization and I can verify this. You are correct that not many are turned down but also not many are willing to go see and Dr pay a fee unless they have a legitimate ailment. If you come in and say I want to smoke pot You won’t get one.They don’t know if they will be authorized until after they see the Dr. Most patients are somewhat scared ,nervous and apprehensive about the process to begin with. Many come in and dump prescription meds on the table and tell us they can get this and this and this and that.
BUT Gregoire I mean GOD forgive me if I want to use medical marijuana.
My mom already died of cancer and I still don’t agree with you. Don’t be a dick.